Dennis Jacobs (GHS ‘70) and Fritz Archer (GHS ‘68) were managers their sophomore years at GHS. It was an exciting time to be around Silver Streaks basketball. Both of them were to share some of their memories of Galesburg basketball and John Thiel.
Dennis Jacobs- 1968 Streaks Basketball Manager
Massey- When did you go to GHS and when were you a manager for the Streaks?
Dennis Jacobs- I graduated from Galesburg High School in 1970 and was a Student Manager my Sophomore year for both the 1967 GHS Hall of Fame Football Team and the 1968 GHS Hall of Fame Basketball Team. A pretty good way to start my first year at GHS.
Massey- How did you get involved being a manager?
Dennis Jacobs- I had been a Student Manager for basketball and track in the 8th Grade and 9th grade at Churchill Junior High for Coach Bill Morgan and Coach Bob Morgan. My Dad had gone to school with Coach Bill and after I didnt make the cut in 8th Grade to play for him, he asked me to be a Manager. I was an OK basketball player, but was not a football player and did not fit Coach Bill's profile. We had really good Churchill teams those two years and I was hooked. In the Fall of 1967 after starting school at GHS I sought out Coach Bob Johns. After telling him about my experience at Churchill and my desire to stay involved I asked if I could be a Student Manager at GHS and he said yes.
Massey- What had been your involvement with the Streaks growing up?
Dennis Jacobs- I had grown up on Bridge Avenue and lived next door to 1962 - 1965 Silver Streak player John Pratt and across the street from Mike Bangert. I attended many Silver Streak games and became acquainted with some of the Student Managers and even sat on the bench during games in those days. I also listened to all the games on the radio broadcasts and also attended practices. I would attend practices because I chose to cut through the halls of GHS on my walk home to Bridge Ave from Rose Hoben Welch Grade School. It was warm in the halls on my walk home and besides that, I loved basketball and the Silver Streaks.
Massey- It is fun to be an “insider” but there is kind of a “code” when part of the team to keep somethings inside the locker room?
Dennis Jacobs- I participated in and was involved in sports my entire youth from Little League Baseball playing for my Dad and Clint Arenz and also youth basketball at the "Y" playing for Harold Canada and Glen Pepmeyer. I knew from a young age that conversations between coaches and players were just that, between coaches and players. I was never told or heard "what is said here, stays here".
Massey- What were practices like?
Dennis Jacobs- Basketball practice for the Silver Streaks was intense and structured. Time was spent every practice session on drills to instill repeatable skills, discipline and also creativity. Coach Thiel believed and taught players to recognize tendencies and take advantage of a defenders weakness.
Players always did wall jumps, full court sprints and dribble defense. Players had fun too doing the Globetrotters 50/50 drill. Players also shot 25 Free Throws in sets of 5 after sprints and had to report, in front everyone, the number made. This reporting was always commented on by Coach Thiel with a "good job" or an "are you sure?" After the Free Throw shooting reports, colored jerseys were distributed to the "Starting Five" and a session of full court scrimmaging began with Coach Thiel leading the opposing group.
Massey- What was the atmosphere for “big games?”
Dennis Jacobs- In those days the game against Galesburg was always the biggest game of the opposing teams schedule and season. That is no exaggeration. Coach Thiel would prep his team accordingly. I can recall no added emphasis on any particular "Big Game".... they were ALL big games!
The only unusual practice I can remember is the practice after beating Quincy at Macomb in the Super Sectional and before the State Quarter Final game against Number 1 rated and undefeated Effingham. During the scrimmage that practice Coach Thiel and the opposing team played holding badminton rackets to simulate the excessive height of the Efffingham players. The end result of that practice was evident and obvious when our Streaks annihilated the Flaming Hearts 85 - 52. I don't recall any excessive celebrating. Winning was expected. Winning is what we did. As the saying goes: "act like you've been there". We HAD been there and we acted like it.
Massey- What were the strengths of the ‘68 team?
Dennis Jacobs- The 1967-68 Streaks had many desirable attributes including excellent speed, good shooting ability and an unqiting attitude to play hard on both ends of the court with energy.
Massey- “Old-timers”, like you and me, sometimes debate the greatest GHS team- ‘59, ‘66, ‘68, or ‘98. What do you think?
Dennis Jacobs- I was not able to see or watch the 1958-59 team play but witnessed many of the 1965-66 teams games up close and occasionally from the bench. I saw and participated in every game of the 1967-68 season as a Student Manager on the bench, at practice and in the locker room. I attended every game of 1997-98 season except two, the KMOX shootout game and the Fenwick game.
In my opinion from the games I watched the 1968 team was the best. The deciding factor in a head to head game between the 1968 team and the 1998 team to me is that the 1968 team would have Coach Thiel. He would have had his team so well prepared and believing in themselves.
Massey- What made Thiel so successful in your mind?
Dennis Jacobs- I believe Coach Thiel was very successful because he was first a great athlete himself and his competative nature would shine like a beacon. Not all good athletes make good coaches, but because of his drive to win and his command of the English language he was able to communicate and get players to believe in him and themselves. We didn't care if Pekin, Quincy or Moline felt the same way.... that was their problem. We had Coach Thiel, we were better and we knew it.
I feel I had a very good relationship with Coach Thiel. I was good friends, and still am, with Zack. My Dad coached the Galesburg Little League team in 1967 that Mark played on. Dad led that team to the City Championship Series and Coach Thiel was at every game. So we were acquainted prior to me attending GHS. I always wanted to do my best for Coach Thiel and the team. I think he knew that and respected me for it.
Massey- You were a manager during a very exciting time. What are some of your favorite memories?
Dennis Jacobs- I like a lot of others remember the colorful language of Coach Thiel. I remember in particular early in the 1967-68 year Coach Thiel bending down in front of me and letting lose with a string of profanity thinking I had done something wrong, when in fact his comments were directed and intended for the official who had missed and errored in his call on the previous play. I learned later that he had employed this ploy during many of his coaching years in order to not confront the official directly although he was not opposed to that either.
I also and more importantly remember that Coach Thiel was the very first grown man I ever saw crying. After the 1968 Championship game and our loss to Evanston, with tears streaming down his face, he addressed every single player and thanked them for doing their best. That is all Coach Thiel wanted and asked of anyone, to be able after you cross back over the sideline and look your teammate in the eye and say: "I did my best". I will and have carried that with me until today because of Coach Thiel.
Fritz Archer- 1968 Streaks Basketball Manager
Massey- You got an "inside" look into a great Streaks team. As coaches, you hope some things from practice, games, and lockeroom, stay within the team. Do you remember feeling that there was a code or being told that?
Fritz Archer- I'm not sure you call it a code, but I guess that's what coaches called it. Whatever, there was a code. It was pretty quiet as far as players or managers sharing what went in the locker room. I don't think players knew they weren't supposed to be talking about things that went on. I was told by an assistant coach after an intense post-game, not to be saying stuff.
Massey- What do you remember about practices?
Fritz Archer- I'm not sure I remember a lot about the practices because I was busy. I was doing things with the sophomore squad, moving baskets, getting rid of the basketballs- I was kept busy. The thing I remember most probably is the warm-ups before practice. Certain guys had specific rituals. I remember one of the guys would shoot baskets with his left hand, right hand, left hand, right hand. Other ones would be dribbling and talking to each other. Whether rituals or not, each player did a lot of the same things to start every practice.
Massey- Do you remember what the lockeroom was like before and after big games?
Fritz Archer- It was generally quieter before big game and when coach came in, everybody listened. They got the motivation that they needed.
Massey- What made the 1966 team so good? Fans want to debate whether 1959, 1966, 1968, or 1998 teams were strongest, what do you think?
Fritz Archer- The debate about the teams 1959, 1966, 1968, 1998 teams, not sure- they were all different. They were all good at certain things. I think the ‘66 team was one of the better defensive teams. The ‘68 team didn't have the star player, but they had a great group of starters and again a pretty deep bench which always seemed to be something Thiel did- creating a bench. He always had pretty decent benches.
I think Thiel was really a pretty good defensive coach and I'm not sure he ever gets a credit for that. He just knew how to use players defensively if the other team had a great player.
I think the 66 team was kind of a defensive team even more so than an offensive team. What made ‘66 team so good obviously was that Dale Kelly could score, everything revolved around him. You can't deny he was a great shooter. I can remember we played Rock Island and he had like 52 points that that night. But he had a pretty good cast around him too. I mean McDougall was probably one of the best point guards GHS had. You had Bob Jasperson. He was a good defender.
‘66 team was a great defensive team and they had depth as far as players. They had 10 good players. I just think it was like a really pretty good team and doesn't get a credit for the defensive part of there of the team.
Massey- You got to see the inside workings of things. What do you think made Thiel so successful?
Fritz Archer- What made Thiel a great coach? He could pick talent, I said before our team had three sophomores on the tournament team. They played, it wasn't like they sat on the bench during the tourney, they all played. Mac (Roland McDougall) and Lugene (Finley) started several games. Woody (Dave Wood) was a good shooter too so that again we had we had three sophomores on that team. I don't know many coaches that do that. He knew what he was doing. There's no doubt about it.
Massey- What was your relationship with John Thiel?
Fritz Archer- Coach Thiel was always nice to me and the other managers. We kept stats in those days and I was in charge of assists and I think rebounds as well. Hell, I didn't know what an assist was and he explained it all to me the first game. He explained what the importance of the assists were.
Sometimes I got wrapped up in the game and I wonder if I gave Mack enough assists or somebody else an assist that they didn't really get because I'm screaming on the bench.
Thiel respected us as managers. Years after I graduated, he was always very cordial and really a pretty nice guy.
Massey- What are some of your favorite memories?
Fritz Archer- Thiel never liked to play in tournaments during Christmas. It was like a week, two weeks off for the players. We had practices, don't get me wrong. You'd be off Christmas day. Some years we struggled a little bit with the games after Christmas. I think we played Chicago Marshall the first game back and Quincy that same weekend if I'm not mistaken. We got beat by them. That's what I remember about the regular season. We were a good team, we had been undefeated going into the holidays.
We played Quincy again and we won in the game that Dale Kelly had been having nosebleeds and he struggling a little bit. After halftime, he came back out and was Dale Kelly again. The defense did a great job on Quincy. I think we won by a bucket or two maybe a point, I can't remember for sure.
Then the Springfield game, I still see this image of Bob Jasperson at 6’3” standing in front of David Robisch, who was a great player and later a pro. Robisch was about 6-10 or 6-11. Jasperson and the defense of Galesburg held that guy to like 14 points, which is I think the lowest he had in the season.
I have to say this about being a manager for GHS basketball team with John Thiel. He knew people.
We ate well. When we played away games, we ate at some pretty nice places. In Galesburg we always ate at the Canton Café.
It was kind of fun and interesting, and I obviously remember the camaraderie I had with the players and the other managers that have lasted for life.
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